Optical determination of atmospheric temperature profiles /
Techniques for finding the distortions of images caused by atmospheric refraction a-re presented in this dissertation along with a method for finding the temperature profile for an atmosphere from refraction angle measurements. In the first part of this dissertation, well-defined physical laws are...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1996.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=739363131&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Techniques for finding the distortions of images caused by atmospheric refraction a-re presented in this dissertation along with a method for finding the temperature profile for an atmosphere from refraction angle measurements. In the first part of this dissertation, well-defined physical laws are used to develop a method for determining position, shape, and color changes of an object viewed through an atmosphere. These principles are then used to explain sunset phenomenon by comparing images produced with computer simulations with those observed in nature. Programs are included which use the phenomena of terrestrial and astronomical refraction to determine image mapping functions and air mass for a given atmosphere. The image mapping functions can be used to map images from true to apparent image space while the air mass can be used during extinction calculations when determining the apparent color of a distance object. During this investigation we found that the mirages produced by an atmosphere are strongly dependent on not only vertical temperature gradients in the atmosphere but also the altitude of the observer within the atmosphere. This lead to the development of an integral inversion technique for finding the temperature profile for an atmosphere from refraction angles. Results of this solution to the inverse problem are shown and applications of the formulas to remote sensing are discussed. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Physics". |
| Physical Description: | x, 98 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 71-73. |